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Futuro do Presente Simples: Formation

The futuro do presente simples — falarei, comerei, partirei — is the easiest verb tense to form in all of Portuguese, because for almost every verb you build it directly on the whole infinitive, including the final -r. There are no stem changes to memorize, no -ar/-er/-ir split to manage, and only three irregular verbs in the entire language. This page shows the formation, the one model paradigm you need, the three exceptions, and a frank note on when you will and won't actually use this tense.

The rule: infinitive + one set of endings

Take the full infinitive (falar, comer, partir) and add the same endings to all three verb classes:

PersonEnding
eu-ei
tu-ás (regional / literary)
ele / ela / você-á
nós-emos
eles / elas / vocês-ão

Because the endings attach to the entire infinitive, the -r stays in and you just append: falar → falar+ei → falarei. This is the trick that makes the tense so regular — you never strip anything off.

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The simple future is the only Portuguese tense built on the complete infinitive. If you know the infinitive, you can form it: falar → falarei, comer → comerei, partir → partirei. The -r never disappears.

Watch the accents, because they are not optional:

  • -á (third person singular) carries an acute accent: falará, comerá.
  • -ão (third person plural) carries a tilde: falarão, comerão.
  • -ei and -emos carry no written accent.

A missing accent here is a spelling error. Falara (no accent) is a completely different verb form (the pluperfect), and falarao is simply misspelled.

Model paradigm: 'falar' (and the other two classes)

Personfalar (-ar)comer (-er)partir (-ir)
eufalareicomereipartirei
tufalaráscomeráspartirás
ele/ela/vocêfalarácomerápartirá
nósfalaremoscomeremospartiremos
eles/elas/vocêsfalarãocomerãopartirão

A register note on tu: the -ás form (falarás) is genuinely rare in modern Brazil. In the regions that use tu in everyday speech (parts of the South and Northeast), the future is almost always rephrased with ir anyway (tu vai falar). You will mostly meet falarás in literature, hymns, and older texts. Recognize it; you will seldom need to produce it.

Eu te ligarei assim que chegar.

I'll call you as soon as I arrive. (formal/written tone)

O evento começará pontualmente às oito.

The event will begin punctually at eight. (formal announcement)

Nós lutaremos por essa causa até o fim.

We will fight for this cause until the end. (solemn/rhetorical)

Os resultados serão divulgados na próxima semana.

The results will be released next week. (news/official)

The three irregular stems — and there are only three

In the entire language, exactly three verbs do not use the full infinitive as their future stem. They contract it. Memorize these three and every other verb is perfectly predictable.

InfinitiveFuture stemeu form
fazer (to do/make)far-farei
dizer (to say)dir-direi
trazer (to bring)trar-trarei

They take the same endings as everything else, just on the shortened stem:

Personfazerdizertrazer
eufareidireitrarei
ele/vocêfarádirátrará
nósfaremosdiremostraremos
eles/vocêsfarãodirãotrarão

Eu farei o possível para resolver isso.

I'll do everything I can to solve this.

Ela nunca dirá o que realmente pensa.

She'll never say what she really thinks.

Eles trarão os documentos amanhã.

They'll bring the documents tomorrow.

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The only three irregular simple-future stems in Portuguese are far- (fazer), dir- (dizer), and trar- (trazer). Their compounds inherit the same contraction: refazer → refarei, desdizer → desdirei, contradizer → contradirei.

Their derived verbs follow suit automatically. Refazer (redo) → refarei; prever is not in this group (it is regular: preverei) — only the fazer/dizer/trazer families contract.

A frank note: you'll mostly read it, not say it

You should learn to form this tense flawlessly, because it is everywhere in writing, news, formal speech, song lyrics, and predictions. But in casual spoken Brazilian Portuguese it is largely replaced by vou + infinitive. A Brazilian friend will say vou fazer, not farei; vou dizer, not direi. Producing farei in a relaxed conversation raises the register and can sound slightly theatrical, like saying "I shall do it" in English. So: master the formation for reading and writing, and lean on the periphrastic future for everyday talk. The companion pages on the periphrastic future and on its colloquial replacement go deeper into this.

No discurso, o reitor disse: «Construiremos um país melhor».

In the speech, the rector said: 'We will build a better country.' (formal/literary)

Common Mistakes

❌ Eu falaei amanhã.

Incorrect — keep the full infinitive 'falar', then add the ending: 'falar' + 'ei'.

✅ Eu falarei amanhã.

I'll speak tomorrow.

❌ Ele comera no restaurante.

Incorrect — the third-person singular needs the acute accent: 'comerá'. Without it, 'comera' is a different tense.

✅ Ele comerá no restaurante.

He'll eat at the restaurant.

❌ Eles falarao com você.

Incorrect — third-person plural takes the tilde: 'falarão'.

✅ Eles falarão com você.

They'll speak with you.

❌ Eu fazerei isso.

Incorrect — 'fazer' is irregular; the future stem contracts to 'far-': 'farei'.

✅ Eu farei isso.

I'll do that.

❌ Eu dizerei a verdade.

Incorrect — 'dizer' contracts to 'dir-': 'direi'.

✅ Eu direi a verdade.

I'll tell the truth.

Key Takeaways

  • Build the simple future on the whole infinitive (the -r stays): falar → falarei.
  • One set of endings for all three classes: -ei, -ás, -á, -emos, -ão.
  • Accents are mandatory: -á (acute), -ão (tilde).
  • Only three irregular stems exist: far- (fazer), dir- (dizer), trar- (trazer), and their compounds.
  • It dominates writing and formal speech; in casual conversation Brazilians use vou + infinitive instead.

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